Comfort Food

This week I’ve had a cold and just felt sort of “blah.” That’s why today for lunch, I decided I was in the mood for some comfort food. Normally, back home, I opt for Macaroni & Cheese with Tomatoes and Ground Beef. I don’t know if there’s a catchy name for that, but it’s delish!

Macaroni and cheese is one thing we simply have not found here in Japan, so I opted to try the closest thing to “Japanese comfort food” that seems to exist. It’s called “Omurice” (pronounced “om-rice”). Can you guess what it’s made of? Omelet + Rice = Omurice. Sort of. Only the rice is spanish-style, seasoned with tomato paste and mixed with onions and other veggies. The egg is sort of a football shape and it’s molded over the rice to make a nice… well… football shaped omelet.

And of course, as one would expect, Japanese cuisine being what it is, the omurice is made to look really fancy, even though it’s comfort food at heart. It’s usually topped with a decorative slathering of ketchup. Mine even came with a green plastic garnish on the side to make it look extra special.

So, my first experience with Japanese comfort food was a positive one. I think it was “just what the Doctor ordered.”